


eyes on fire

by correias



Category: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII Remake - Fandom
Genre: (kinda), Alcohol, Almost smut, F/M, FFVII Remake!Reno, Fluff, Love at First Sight, Making Out, Romance, Sexual Tension, Swearing, slight canon divergence?, there is one (1) use of the f-word
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-25
Updated: 2020-05-10
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:48:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 17,417
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23844001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/correias/pseuds/correias
Summary: “I never caught your name, sweetheart.”Shifting, you peered up at Reno through delicate lashes. He smirked,always smirked, darting his tongue out over his lips. Clearly, he was enjoying this.You huffed, stubbornly wiggling out his grip. He looked disappointed, but let you go regardless.“I never threw it.”
Relationships: Reno (Compilation of FFVII)/Reader, Reno Sinclair/Reader
Comments: 109
Kudos: 453





	1. eyes on fire

**Author's Note:**

> okay so right off the bat, i wanna say this is the ffvii remake version of reno, so i apologise if he's different to his previous versions! i tried my best to keep him as close to his character in the remake as possible. i hope he's not too out of character!
> 
> i apologise if my writing isn't the best - i haven't written anything in over a year now. i also tend to use a lot of italics and repetition, so if this was a little too much, please do let me know !
> 
> anyway, i hope you enjoy this little one shot i put together !! reno deserves much more love ,,, someone please write for him!!!

The night was still, not a cloud nor a star visible in what was left of the sky above. The air had a serene feel about it – everyone had gone home early and there had been little trouble about for some time now. It was peaceful, a rarity for Sector 7, especially at night when the worst individuals liked to make themselves known.

It was a quiet night for Seventh Heaven. Sunday nights usually were – everyone was resting up to prepare for a week’s worth of labour. There was no trouble, no one puking on the floor, no need to run around with a long list of jobs to do. You had to admit, it was quite blissful.

It was ten minutes before your shift ended – ten minutes before Seventh Heaven would close for the night. You couldn’t wait for your head to hit the soft feathers within your pillow. Tifa was on shift the next day, meaning you could enjoy a long, well deserved sleep. _Ugh_ , you could feel the soft embrace of your bed calling out to you already.

Despite your shift ending so soon, you made sure not to rush your cleaning duties. It wouldn’t be fair to leave the place a mess for your dear friend, especially when Avalanche were having a meeting in the morning.

You weren’t part of the group yourself, but Tifa had no choice but to fill you in when Wedge had suddenly appeared one day from what looked like a secret passage under one of the arcade machines. _Definitely_ not something you knew about, nor did you expect it. Nonetheless, Tifa had trusted you, knowing you agreed with Avalanche’s views on the Planet. Besides, you were already a good friend of the bunch so what reason would you have to rat them out?

The jukebox across from you played a jazzy tune, one you always managed to get stuck in your head. You hummed along, wiping one of the sticky wooden tables in time to the music. No one would come in now; you had already changed the sign to show the bar was closed. Honestly, you just wanted to get home, so you didn’t particularly want to deal with the usual assholes who’d walk in last minute demanding shots and leaving a mess on the old wooden planks of the floor.

It was better when no one was in the bar, anyway. Being able to sing and dance along to whatever the jukebox was playing made cleaning other people’s messes much more bearable.

Your steps had a slight spring to them as you worked your way around to the other side of the table, scrubbing at the more stubborn remnants of someone’s order. The jazzy song began to fade out, and you resisted the urge to pout as a new song began to fade in. This song was a little darker in tune, holding a bit more edginess to it despite still being jazzy and ultimately memorable.

As if on cue, the double doors to the establishment burst open. _Someone clearly wanted to make an entrance_. Assuming it would be some fool wanting a last minute drink, you sighed, putting down your cloth and spray. You walked into sight, not even looking at the individual before you started the usual speech, “Good evening. I’m sorry to say that we’re closing now, but we’ll be open tomorrow from–”

A voice quickly cut you off, “I’m not here as a customer.”

You looked at the person as they spoke, taking in their rather intimidating appearance. It was a male, who spoke with a cool tone. He was tall, much taller than you, and built well. Clearly, he liked to show this off from the way his shirt buttons were undone at the top, exposing his chest. He wore a smart, black suit over the top of the shirt which only accentuated his height.

In his left hand, he held a rod – _a weapon_ , you thought. You had seen similar weapons before on the television, but never in person.

Your heart skipped a beat when you looked at yourself from a third person perspective. Here you were, _alone_ , working the late shift, while a strange man with a weapon had just walked in and was already scoping the place out, as if to ensure you were alone. This didn’t seem very much in your favour.

You wondered what you would do if something did go down. You supposed you’d have to make a run for it. It wasn’t like you could _fight_ someone like him. Barret and Marlene were sleeping upstairs, but there was no way you would get them involved. Marlene was self-explanatory, and from what you knew, some shady guys had recently been looking for Barret. No way would you sell him out just to save your own skin.

Apparently, the fear was showing on your face, since the man cracked what looked like a smirk, tapping the rod against his shoulder, almost as if he wanted to add to your fear. He was good looking; despite the situation, it was hard to deny. He had sharp features: blue eyes which gave you a quick once over, lips which curled into a smirk (an expression which he seemed to suit) and unusual tattoos next to his eyes, in a bright red which matched his equally bright hair. His hair was tied into a long ponytail at the back, with unruly strands at the top of his head which hung over his face, along with a pair of dark goggles.

A quick raise of his eyebrow made you realise he had been waiting for a response. Ignoring the voice in your head telling you to run away screaming, you opened your mouth to answer him, hoping to feign confidence.

“Yeah, well, the sign says we’re closed. So, I’m sorry but you’re gonna have to find somewhere else,” you said, trying to maintain eye contact.

The man stepped forward, daring to close the doors behind him, despite their creaking protests. Your mouth opened and closed, having a mental battle about what you should’ve done right then. Fight or flight, as they say. _Well, probably not so much fight_.

The man took another step forward. You stepped back without thinking. So much for confidence.

“That’s no way to treat a guest. I’m kinda in a rush, so you’re gonna have to help me out here, yeah?” the man warned, clicking his tongue.

“Unless you’re a friend of the boss or a paying customer, you can’t be here, and that’s _before_ closing time,” you said, though you were sure the nervous waver in your voice was making you lose all authority.

He scoffed in response, a hand digging into his pocket. Pulling out a clear bag full of what looked like Gil, he waved it at you, “Paying directly into your tips, ma’am.”

Your arms crossed, looking away in disinterest. Though the idea of free money seemed appealing, you knew it wouldn’t be that easy with this guy. He was clearly in some business that didn’t like to mess around. The fact he carried around a weapon and a large amount of Gil with him proved that. The suit, too.

“No?” he asked, “You _don’t_ want this? Rent covered for at least, what? Two weeks? Shame.”

Despite his words, he didn’t put the money away. Clearly, he still wanted to use it as some sort of leverage. Perhaps it would be best to just hear him out, avoid conflict so that no one had to get hurt.

“What is it that you want?” you questioned, biting the inside of your cheek nervously.

“Heh. Knew you’d come around. Name’s Reno,” he stepped closer once more, sliding out an arm, attempting a handshake. You ignored it, finding interest in the ground. “And you are?”

Your eyes met his oh-so piercing ones. They seemed to shoot right through you, as if they could see through any mental defences you had up. It reminded you of the way a predator would watch its prey before going in for the kill. The smirk he had plastered on his face certainly didn’t help matters.

You sighed. “I’m not telling you my name until I know why you’re here. And put that,” you gestured to the rod resting on his shoulder, “away.”

The man, Reno, returned your sigh, slipping the rod into his pocket. He then raised his hands, exaggerating the fact that he was unarmed. Then, one hand went to his hip, leaning to one side casually. He lifted his head, eyes scanning the area around you, as if double checking that no one else was around. He walked towards you, until he was almost touching you, but then walked past you at the last second. A breath escaped your lips, one you didn’t realise you were holding it. He must’ve heard it, because a low snicker left his lips. You turned on your heel to watch his every move, as he stopped at the door to the upstairs area.

“What’s back there?” he inquired.

“Toilets. You need to go?” you quickly blurted out, praying he wouldn’t. There wasn’t just a bathroom up there, but a father and daughter sleeping soundly.

“Nah,” he replied, and this time you kept the sigh of relief in. He stepped back towards you, stopping at the bar. He ran a hand along the shiny-looking wood - your doing, of course. With a hum, he sat down on one of the stools, turning on it to face you. “I work for Shinra. Sent me here to investigate a very urgent matter.”

_Shinra_. That’s when the realisation hit you. The suit, the weapon, the money. Those three components said it all, and you didn’t even realise it. In that case, if this guy was here to investigate an urgent matter... he must’ve been one of the infamous Turks you had heard so much about. The big bad guys who showed zero remorse, only caring about completing their missions. And a Turk in Sector 7, in _Seventh Heaven_ of all places, meant that Avalanche was in trouble.

Still, you had to conjure up a cover story, and you had to do it fast. Protecting your Avalanche friends was crucial. They weren’t the bad guys, after all.

“Shinra? What do they want with some crappy bar in Sector 7 of all places?”

Lying through your teeth certainly wasn’t easy, especially when you were being practically scrutinised by the Turk sitting right in front of you.

Reno raised an eyebrow, staring at you so intensely that you had to force yourself to look away. The Turk chuckled, turning back towards the bar to eye up all the drinks behind it instead, “Hey, what’s your nicest cocktail?”

You were almost astonished at this guy’s way of avoiding your question. However, his casual demeanour made it a little less surprising that he wasn’t entirely serious about his job.

Walking behind the bar, you evaded the eyes that were fixated on your body. Maybe, if you just played the role of a clueless, innocent bartender, you’d get through this a lot easier. Still, you wanted to call him out for acting so unprofessional. You settled on throwing him a snarky comment.

“Drinking on the job?” your eyes narrowed at him as you asked the question.

“Paying customer,” Reno challenged, putting the bag of Gil down onto the bar. He leaned back, placing his hands behind his head.

You stared at the currency, thinking back to his comment about not having to pay rent for a while. Not only would that help you out a ton, but you could give the rest to Tifa. It would lift so much weight from her shoulders, and she’d be forever grateful to you for helping her out. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to accept it. You didn’t have to tell anyone where it came from.

Reno hummed, cocking his head to the side as he watched you consider the offer. A deep breath left you when you came to your decision. You turned your back to the man, grabbing a glass along with the ingredients for the particular cocktail you had in mind.

“Cosmo Canyon.”

“Huh?” he was taken aback by your blunt response as you began making the cocktail.

“The Cosmo Canyon. Our house special here at Seventh Heaven,” your tone contained painfully obvious forced niceness and professionalism. Sarcasm, almost.

“I’ll have that, then,” the corners of Reno’s lips curled upwards as he tapped his fingers on the bar in time with the song playing on the jukebox.

“Coming right up,” you muttered, glad your back was turned so he couldn’t see your eyes roll.

Already so used to making the house special, the concoction was finished before long. You grabbed the glass, filling it and placing it down in front of the red-haired Turk.

“Cheers.”

He smirked up at you, taking the glass into his hand. He took a sip of the drink, eyes never leaving yours, and let out a pleased sigh upon tasting the liquid.

“Delicious,” he said simply, though the fact he was looking at you and not the drink made you wonder if he had ulterior motives. You had to ignore the shiver that ran up your spine.

“Now, are you gonna tell me what Shinra wants or what?” you huffed, trying not to crumble under his gaze.

Reno brought the glass up to his lips once more, pausing as he reached the rim. His ocean blue eyes locked with your own eyes for a second time, causing him to grin. He took another painfully drawn out sip. You weren’t sure if looking at him or away from him was more difficult.

Looking content, the Turk let out a relaxed sigh, bringing a gloved hand up his face and leaning on it.

“Those assh– uh, _eco-terrorists_ , Avalanche,” he finally informed you. You took notice of the slip up in his speech, resisting the urge to glare when he referred to your friends as ‘assholes’.

“Avalanche?” you tried your best to act dumb, just like the oblivious citizens of Sector 7 who you’d often hear gossiping about the group, calling them every name under the sun without doing an actual research on them, “Oh, I heard about them on the news. They’re here?”

Reno shook his head. He swirled the crimson liquid around in his glass, furrowing his brows, “ _Might_ be here. Y’know, it’s funny, actually.”

Confused, you raised a quizzical eyebrow. He snickered darkly, lifting the drink up to his lips and finishing the rest of it in one go. You just hoped he could handle his alcohol. He continued, “The guy who tipped us off said he saw a guy who matched the description of a dude on our wanted list coming in and out of this bar, not very long before Mako Reactor One went ‘boom’.”

_Shit._ Your heart was in your throat when his words reached your ears, beating much faster than before. The situation you were in was suddenly becoming very real. If Reno wanted to, he could search this place. And that would be that. _Would you go down with Avalanche for being an accomplice?_ The thought made your stomach whirl and you quickly became nauseous.

_Who would’ve tipped him off?_ You went through a mental list of everyone you knew in Sector 7. The only individual who would become a sell-out like that for some quick cash would be Johnny, the idiot who lived right next to the bar. You mentally cursed him and his loud mouth for getting you into this situation. If you got out of here, Tifa would have a new punching bag to train with.

“Hey, you okay? You’re looking kinda pale,” Reno interrupted your train of thoughts, a false kindness showing in his eyes. He reached out before you could move away, gloved hand caressing your face. His thumb rubbed against the soft skin there, and it would’ve been comforting if he wasn’t a total stranger to you. The roll of your eyes was involuntary as you lightly slapped his hand away.

“Peachy,” you breathed, taking the now empty glass from in front of the man. You placed it down next to the sink, no longer in a rush to get home. You’d be up all night thinking about this encounter, you just knew it. If you even made it home, that was.

“I dunno, you looked kinda shaken up there. Don’t tell me,” he rose to his feet in the blink of an eye, slamming his hands down on the table harshly. The sudden noise made you jump. He noticed, a grin with a mix of playfulness and something sinister adorning his lips. Your nails dug into your palms, a nervous habit, something to stop yourself from panicking. “You’re not in cahoots with Avalanche, are you?”

Wide-eyed, you quickly shook your head. To him, you must’ve looked like a deer in headlights.

“No.”

“Hmm, really?” Reno tilted his head to one side, blue eyes turning to slits. He tapped a singular finger against his chin, although you knew he couldn’t have been in any deep thought, “One of the guys we’re looking for is really tall, like six foot something with a gun for an arm. Can’t miss him. And when someone says they saw a guy matching that description coming in and out of here... it’s kinda hard to make something like that up, ain’t it?”

You swallowed hard. He was testing you right now, watching for your responses. Waiting for you to trip up. You supposed he was probably trained in stuff like this, too – being able to read people probably came in useful for a Turk. Knowing this, you bit down on your lip in an effort to ground yourself. You had to be convincing. As someone who couldn’t fight, or make bombs, or hack into security systems, you had to at least be good at _talking_. After all, you _did_ work in a bar. There must’ve been _some_ skill in acting interested in creepy drunk men’s stories while you tried to do your job.

“I’m sorry, did you say he had a gun for an arm? I think I’d remember seeing someone like that,” you forced a laugh, leaning against the sink. _You’re just a normal citizen, [Y/N]._

Reno quirked an eyebrow, “So, you’re telling me you haven’t seen anyone like that? How about a merc with a big sword?”

You had to stop yourself from doing a double take. The mention of Avalanche’s newest member, Cloud Strife, almost caught you off guard. Even so, you found genuine humour in his strange description of the merc. Laughing for a second time, you asked, “Come again?”

An audible growl left the man, who was still stood on the opposite side of the bar, and you could make out his teeth clenching together. His leather clad hand went to his nose, pinching the bridge. It was almost dramatic. You watched him, noticing the sudden change in his mood which was seemingly caused by the mention of the blonde SOLDIER.

His eyes then flickered to your own. Seeing you watching him, he brought his hand downwards, over his face. In the short time you couldn’t see his expression, it had changed again. That signature smirk of his had reappeared, his eyes glinting with a hint of playfulness.

“An annoying bastard merc with a big-ass sword which is _clearly_ overcompensating for something.” He didn’t miss the way your lips briefly curled up into a smile - the first genuine one he’d seen - and how it had disappeared just as fast as it came. “Doesn’t ring a bell?”

Nonchalantly, you shook your head, throwing your hands up to show him you didn’t, “Hmm, I don’t think so. Seems a little personal, though.”

You were genuinely curious as to what his damage was with Cloud. The merc never liked to talk about his personal affairs, but it didn’t surprise you in the slightest that he had enemies. That cocky attitude of his was bound to get him into trouble. Even so, the Turk in front of you seemed so cool and collected that it was surprising he could have such a vendetta against someone.

“Nah, not really. He just thinks he’s hot shit when he ain’t,” Reno replied.

You scoffed in response. He turned on his heel, walking slowly and casually towards the back corner of the bar, where the jukebox and dartboard were. Stopping at the jukebox, he pushed its buttons a few times, never giving the songs more than ten seconds to play as he skipped through them. His face was unimpressed as he turned to you, “How can you listen to this crap all day?”

“It grows on you. There are some hidden gems on there,” you admitted from behind the bar. You considered leaving your position to get closer to him; he didn’t seem like he was going to be a threat to you anymore. But you couldn’t be too careful.

Almost as if he read your mind, Reno tilted his head towards you, then gestured to the vibrantly coloured machine in front of him. He flashed a toothy grin, telling you, “Why don’t you come and put one of those ‘hidden gems’ on, then?”

The offer was still processing in your head, but your legs were already moving, already gravitating towards the dangerous man. _Why?_ You weren’t sure. Maybe you had subconsciously decided that he wouldn’t be a danger to you. _But he was_. No... if he wanted to hurt you, he would’ve done so by now. Your head shook, briefly closing your eyes as in an attempt to silence your thoughts.

Reno quirked a dark brow at you. You let out a heavy breath, waving a dismissive hand as you drew closer to him. It was impossible to miss the way his aquamarine eyes trailed up your body, eyes devouring you the way a lion would watch a lamb. In this case, you were the lamb.

You stepped in front of the jukebox, your hand drifting out in front of you to press one of the buttons. Before you could, however, a strong arm wrapped around your waist, spinning you around until you hit the perpetrator’s chest. A squeal left your lips in the process, but you froze up, unable to fight against the man’s firm grasp.

Your bodies were pressed against each other, his warmness radiating onto you. Your head was leaning against the bare skin of his chest, so close you could hear his steady heartbeat. The exotic scent of his cologne filled your nose; a strong, delicious scent that suited him well. His arm stayed locked around your waist, and his free one had latched onto your upper arm, ensuring you wouldn’t lose your balance.

“I never caught your name, sweetheart.”

Shifting, you peered up at Reno through delicate lashes. He smirked, _always smirked_ , darting his tongue out over his lips. Clearly, he was enjoying this.

You huffed, stubbornly wiggling out his grip. He looked disappointed, but let you go regardless.

“I never threw it,” you answered, averting his eyes, only for your gaze to land on that soft, warm chest of his. _Damn it!_ He didn’t even know your name but he sure knew how to get you flustered.

He took a minute to realise what you meant. When he did, a low chuckle sounded. His index and middle finger found their way under your chin, tilting your head up to look at him. No words left his lips, so you knew he wasn’t going to take your snarky reply for an answer.

“[Y/N].”

“Cute name,” he smiled, then paused, gently dragging his fingers over your lips before you hit his hand away, “ _[Y/N]_.”

The velvety tone to his voice as he said your name made blood rush to your cheeks. _Why did he have such a hold on you?_ Did you really crave danger so much that you would begin to find a _Turk_ attractive? _Was that what this was?_ You, wanting a little more excitement in your life so badly that you would get involved with the enemy? You weren’t an actual member of Avalanche, no, but you were most certainly on their side - an ally. _Traitor_.

You knew he was still looking- no, _staring_ ,- at you, causing you to huff and throw your head to the side as if the floor was more interesting than him, “Quit staring.”

The Turk laughed, stepping away from you. He let himself wonder the free space of the bar for some time, not having a particular destination. You stayed in place and watched him closely. He found interest in some of the glowing neon signs on the walls, though his enticing blue eyes always found their way back to you. One of his eyes closed in a wink. You just pretended not to see it.

Reno’s shoulders shook with laughter. The corners of your lips tugged upwards, almost copying him, but you bit down on your tongue in order to keep your straight face.

His laughter didn’t last long. Eyes drifting away from you, they landed on the arcade machine that doubled as a secret passageway to Avalanche’s meeting room in the floor below you. He took a singular, yet large step forward. His hands touched the glass as he took a closer look - certainly leaving fingerprints you’d have to clean off later. He then stepped back, head tilting upwards as he examined the machinery on the wall behind it; machinery which wasn’t behind the other arcade machine next to it.

A horrible, gnawing feeling grew in the pit of your stomach. You could only watch in horror as he started to become a little _too_ interested in the machine. To any other visitor, this was just a normal arcade machine. But Reno was a Turk, meaning he was probably observant as hell. You had to be for that job. He was absolutely beginning to realise something.

“What the...” he mumbled, trailing off as he crouched down onto the ground. His hand brushed along the wooden planks below the machine. He looked to the other machine, noticing the difference in texture.

The thing about Avalanche was that their ideas were often great in theory, but not so much in practice. Blowing up Mako Reactor One sounded fabulous, until the explosion injured many innocent civilians and left even more homeless. A secret elevator is great, until you make one and it sticks out like a sore thumb to anyone who would take the time to observe. There was a metal square on the ground which surrounded the machine, something you had noticed from your first day on the job, but never thought anything of until Wedge had used it right in front of you. It certainly did scream, “secret passageway”, now that you thought about it.

And Reno was about to figure that out, too.

He looked up from his crouched position on the ground, eyes meeting yours as both disbelief and anger crossed his face.

“No fucking way,” he muttered.

Your mouth opened wide, mind screaming at you to get out of there, though your body refused to cooperate. You had frozen up, not knowing whether to continue acting clueless or to let him eat your dust.

A loud ringing sounded throughout the room. It was coming from Reno’s pocket. He mumbled obscenities under his breath, standing up and reaching for his pocket. His eyes were on you when he pointed an accusatory finger at you, warning you, “You, don’t move.”

Reno pulled his PHS from his pocket and brought it up to his ear, “Yeah?” You tried to listen to the voice on the other end, except you had no luck. “Yeah. No, I haven’t.”

The response to his words had apparently annoyed him, his eyes rolling to the back of his head. In any other situation, you maybe would’ve found it _cute_.

“I _know_.” Another pause. Reno glanced at you whilst he waited for a response. Your expression hadn’t change from before - you still looked terrified. The red-haired man noticed this. Eyes softening, he sent a smile your way. It looked genuine. That scared you even more. “I’ve checked the place out. There’s nothing here.”

_Huh?_ Your hand went to your chest in surprise. _Didn’t he just figure out Seventh Heaven’s secret?_

“Yeah. Asshole gave us a false lead. _Okay_. Mhm, get me back up there, yeah? Later,” he hung up the PHS, sliding it back into his pocket. He threw his arms up, a look of false innocence on his face. Letting out a laugh at your utterly confused expression, he stepped towards you, a knowing wink being sent your way.

“Wait, why did you-“

You didn’t get the chance to finish your sentence before Reno grabbed your waist, pushing you into the nearest wall. His hands then moved upwards until they were next to your head, trapping you there with your back against the wall. A shiver ran down your spine. You couldn’t find the words to protest when he inched closer to you, only stopping a centimetre away from your face. His warm breath hit your skin, the smirk on his lips becoming all the more appealing. _Oh God, his lips_. You were staring at them like they were a work of art. A wicked part of you wanted to know how they felt against your own lips, the most lonely parts of your skin, the inside of your thigh– Oh. _Oh, no_. You _wanted_ this.

Your eyes were wide and your lips were parted as you stared at the man you had _only just met_. His intense eyes stared back at your own lips, and when he started to lean forward more, you didn’t resist. It was only when he kept leaning forward, past your lips and to your ear that you snapped out of your trance.

Into your ear, he muttered lowly, “You owe me now.”

Gasping, you pushed him off you, moving away from him.

You would’ve started ranting, telling him you didn’t owe him a thing, trying to convince yourself that you had no interest in the Turk, but the sound of propeller blades whirring from outside caught your attention instead. You looked from the door to Reno, noticing the smug smile on his face.

“Well, I can’t say I didn’t enjoy talking to ya, but I’ve gotta fly now,” Reno told you, taking out his rod for the first time since arriving. He let the weapon rest on his shoulder, free hand waving goodbye to you as he began to walk towards the door.

“ _That’s it?_ ” you asked, though the near desperate tone in your voice implied something else - that you didn’t _want_ it to be done.

“For now,” Reno replied, grinning like a fool when he saw the small frown on your face. “You owe me, remember?” He gestured with his rod towards the arcade machine.

You swallowed hard, “You’re not gonna say anything?”

He brought a finger up to his lips, showing you he’d keep silent about it.

You furrowed your brows, perplexed by the fact he wouldn’t tell. It seemed ridiculous that he’d potentially jeopardise his job without gaining anything from it. Then again, what they didn’t know couldn’t hurt them...

Reno pulled down on the creaky handle of the door, pulling it open. You caught sight of a helicopter landing nearby; obviously his ride back to Shinra’s headquarters. He turned to you, giving you one last signature smirk.

“[Y/N],” his use of your name made your heart flutter.

“Yeah?” you asked.

His eyes glimmered with mischief. “You missed a spot,” he pointed to one of the tables you were in the process of cleaning when he arrived. Obviously, you hadn’t been able to finish it, so there was still a spot of gross, dried up alcohol on the table.

In true Reno fashion, the Turk didn’t wait for you to answer. He turned, a laugh escaping his lips. The door shut behind him, and you were suddenly alone again as you were before, left to finish your shift and finally close up the bar, alas a little later than usual.

_Asshole_ , you thought, despite the smile that crept up onto your lips.


	2. gods & monsters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been three weeks since you've seen him.
> 
> word count: 6571

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hoo boy who could've expected this? 'eyes on fire' was originally intended as a one shot but you guys showed so much love (thank you!!) for it and asked for more so i decided that there would be three chapters in total!
> 
> this is really long and i'm not sure on the flow but i've edited it so much and taken so many parts out that i just need to leave it now. there's a bit of soft!reno in this chapter, so i apologise if he's ooc! i hope you enjoy 
> 
> IMPORTANT: ao3 keeps doing this weird thing where it deletes my italics near the end of the chapter and i can't stop it, so if anything looks weird i'm afraid i can't do much about it ;-;

“See you later, Tifa!”

Waving with a warm smile to your friend, you closed the creaky double doors to Seventh Heaven behind you and set off on your journey home.

The evening was colder than usual, a chilling wind lashing at your face, surely causing your cheeks to redden. You zipped up your coat, pulling the thick material around you as tightly as possible. The chill of the outside world always came as a shock to you when you left the toasty warmness of your place of work.

There was a dull ache in the back of your legs — evidence you had worked sufficiently hard that day. You were sure this walk would add to it, especially since your humble abode was on the other side of Sector 7. It was fine, you supposed, since you’d at least have time to be alone with your thoughts.

Your eyes travelled up, towards the steel sky above. _Was he out there somewhere?_

It had been three weeks since you met him. In the small time you had become acquainted with him, he had filled your head with ideas, _want,_ the hope that you would see him again.

_“You owe me now”,_ he had said, and you wanted to believe it was more than just a pathetic, throwaway attempt at flirting.

_Yeah, right._ Clearly, he got off to giving innocent bartenders false hope; he never showed up again after that. You should’ve known better, really. People like you didn’t get involved with people like him. He was no more than a silly fantasy.

Tifa never found out about your encounter with the Turk. You did consider telling her, but how could you? You couldn’t exactly say that he had used _you_ as his bargaining point to keep his mouth shut. Besides, there was admittedly something _fun_ and dangerous about keeping secrets like that, even if it felt so _wrong._

And there you went again, getting wrapped up in your own pitiable fantasies about your non-existent relationship with a guy you didn’t even know. Your temples began to ache with a dull pain that would certainly spread to the rest of your head. You sighed, trying to ignore the headache and deciding to focus on the hot bath you would be having once you got home. That was enough motivation to get your legs moving quicker.

The promise of some well-earned rest and recreation when you got home made you reach your front door in record time. Some alone time was probably _just_ what you needed.

You dropped your bag from your shoulder, reaching for your keys. Your hands were almost numb from the bitter cold, making it harder to slide it into the keyhole when you eventually found them. The keys twisted in the lock but didn’t click. Baffled, you pushed down on the handle, only to find the door was already unlocked. _Shit,_ you thought. Clearly, working overtime was starting to get to you; you’d forgotten to lock the door that morning. Mentally berating yourself for being so careless, you opened the door. Warmth from inside hit you, the sensation bringing a relieved smile to your face as you entered.

Closing the door behind you, you quickly shed yourself of your bag and coat, tossing them aside. You kicked your shoes off, immediately feeling relief wash over your tense muscles at the sensation. Simply leaving them next to the doorstep, you stepped into your kitchen, a blissful sigh leaving your lips. You convinced yourself you’d put them away properly once you felt a little cosier. Your hand then went up to your hair, hoping to take that _awful_ tight ponytail of yours out. Hopefully it would relieve you of your ever-growing headache.

As your finger looped around the hair tie, you stopped, hearing some sort of noise coming from upstairs. Your hands dropped to your side and you froze, listening closer. There was a soft click, like a door being closed. Then, shuffling, as if someone was walking directly above where you were stood.

Your heart began to beat erratically in your chest. Staying in place, you continued to listen, making sure your fatigued mind wasn’t playing tricks on you as it often would after a long day at work. More shuffling came, then the creak of a floorboard. There was a pause, momentary silence, before what _had_ to be footsteps continued. You brought a hand down over your mouth to stop yourself from gasping.

There was an intruder in your house.

Your mind started raking through all the possible scenarios. They could’ve been anyone: a burglar, a murderer, some creep from the bar— _Oh, no._ The racket you made upon entering had surely let them know you were here, alone and vulnerable. You backed up quietly, eyes landing on the knife rack you’d usually use for cooking. There was no way you were about to become some cliché horror movie victim.

Pulling a knife from the rack, you listened for more noise. Shaky breaths left your lips which you could only silence by clamping a hand over your mouth. The potential assailant continued to walk above you, their footsteps stopping when they reached the top of the stairs. Your heart felt like it was stuck inside your throat. _They were about to come downstairs._

The panic began to settle in. It was too late to make a run for it — you’d never make it in time. Your grip tightened on the knife, deciding to try and get the jump on the intruder. Maybe you’d surprise them enough to gain an advantage.

Tiptoeing across your kitchen, you squeezed yourself behind the door, holding your breath in. You held the knife in your hand as tightly as you could, though the tremble of your hands made it a struggle. The intruder began to make their way down their stairs, and this time it didn’t seem like they were even trying to hide the sound. You squeezed your eyes shut, trying to convince yourself you’d be able to fight off the individual.

A humming sound began to bounce off the walls of your house. From the pitch, you could tell it was a man. A man who was clearly taunting you if he felt confident enough to _hum._ Your lips pursed, eyebrows furrowed as their steps continued down the stairs. They reached the bottom, and the humming stopped. Dead silence filled your ears.

You dared to peek open an eye, taking a look through the small crack of the door. A blur of black clothing passed by, and you knew this was your only chance to strike. You jumped out from behind the door with a grunt. You held the knife out in front of you, hoping to nick the stranger with it, but it stopped before it met the skin of their neck. Looking down, you noticed an all too familiar weapon being pointed at your own neck, the two of you caught in the open. You froze.

“Drop it,” the intruder commanded.

Your breath hitched, knowing that voice too well. It was a voice you only got to hear once, though you already had it memorised. You dropped the knife. It made a loud clashing sound as it hit the ground, and your eyes slowly began to travel up his arm, the bare skin of his neck and upper chest, until it reached his face. A face you had yearned to catch a glimpse of for so long now.

“Reno.”

The rod he held at your throat instantly moved away as his name fell from your lips. You watched in astonishment as the man tilted his head to the side, the smirk you had missed a little too much finally making its reappearance. His eyes, bluer than ever, trailed from your eyes, all the way down to your legs and back up again, lingering for too long at your lips. They were parted in surprise as you attempted to grasp the situation you were currently in. _Why was he in your house? How did he even know where you lived? In fact, why was he even in Sector 7 again?_

The questions whirling around inside your head were halted as soon as he began to talk, his silvery voice becoming the focus of your attention, “Well, if it isn’t my favourite little bartender.”

For weeks, you had planned what you would say to him in your head. You had run through endless scenarios, coming up with something to say for absolutely everything, but now that he stood before you for the second time, you were clueless. Your mouth opened and closed, trying to form all the words you had kept bottled inside for too long, yet nothing came out.

“Y’know, for a second I thought I had the wrong place,” he admitted, crouching down to pick up the knife you had dropped. He examined the reflective surface of the metal blade, then stood back up, walking past you to put it back in its rack, “Gotta admit, it was kinda hot seeing you point this at my neck. It’s like you’re secretly a badass or something.”

Your brows furrowed. _That_ was the first thing he decided to say to you? He turned, leaning against your countertops with his arms crossed. He read the confusion on your face, but didn’t say any more, waiting for you to lead the conversation instead.

You waved your hand at him, gesturing around the two of you rather dramatically, “Why are you here? _In my house? ”_

Reno’s shoulders shook. By his laughter, something was clearly funny to him. Probably the exasperated expression on your face. He loved to be in the know, leaving you in the dark just so he could laugh at your reactions. It was something you had begun to notice.

“You left your door unlocked,” he informed you, his nonchalant attitude driving you crazy in one way or another, “If that ain’t an invitation, I dunno what is.”

That wasn’t what you were asking — you both knew it. Still, you decided to entertain him. You clicked your tongue in annoyance, crossing your arms, “Right, so entering a stranger’s house is totally okay if they _accidentally_ leave their door unlocked. Got it.”

“Stranger? Don’t act like you wouldn’t have invited me in anyway,” he paused, lips curling upwards in a devilish smirk, “ _[Y/N].”_

He deliberately drew out your name, pronouncing every syllable with intensity. You knew what he was trying to do — he wanted to get you all flustered like he did back at Seventh Heaven. Despite the butterflies that formed in your stomach at his words, you put a hand on your hip, glaring.

“Why are you here, Reno?”

“You _know_ why I’m here,” he twirled his rod around in circles as he spoke, cerulean eyes dancing with amusement.

You did, but you weren’t sure if you were ready to address the issue. You owed him for not saying anything to Shinra. If his behaviour the last time you met was anything to go by, he would probably be wanting something a little more _personal_ than money. You almost shivered when the memory of him pushing you against the wall at Seventh Heaven replayed in your head.

“How... uh, how did you find out where I live?” you inquired, avoiding the inevitable conversation about how you would pay him back.

Of course, he noticed the way you avoided the topic. He threw his head back, staring at the ceiling as a low chuckle escaped his throat. You watched as his Adam’s apple bobbed with the movement, instinctively causing you to swallow. He blew out a breath, still looking at the ceiling.

“Oh, y’know... I had your name and your place of work. Your ID didn’t take long to come up on the system,” he admitted, casually putting his hands behind his head.

It was hard to believe how cool he was about invading your privacy, although you supposed it had to be something he did often as a Turk.

“Does Shinra know?”

He shook his head at your question, bringing his head back up so his eyes could meet yours, “Obviously not, dummy.”

You sneered. Only he would let himself into your house, scaring the life out of you, to then stand there swinging around a weapon and calling _you _names. In a way, you admired how carefree he was. You could never act so laid back.__

__  
_ _

“How about your Avalanche friends?”

“Huh?” you blurted, taken aback by his snarky words.

“I said, do your little Avalanche friends know?” he repeated, tapping his rod against his shoulder. He cocked his head to one side, observing the way you bit your lip and looked away. He hummed, entertained by your reaction, “Hmm?”

You ignored him, walking to your fridge in the hopes of avoiding his judging eyes. Opening it, you grabbed a can of soda for yourself, briefly pausing when you considered Reno. Well, if he was already here, he might as well get comfy. You took out another can for him, before walking over to him.

Refusing to meet his eyes, you put one of the cans down next to him, then returned to your spot across from him, at a non-touching distance. You cracked open your can, taking a sip. The sweet liquid travelled down your throat easily, and only then did you realise how badly you needed that drink.

The Turk snickered, opening his own can and taking a sip, “I’ll take that as a no, then. I guess we both like to break the rules a little, even if you pretend to be a good girl.”

Your soda went down your throat the wrong way upon hearing his words, causing you to cough. _He thought you were a good girl?_ You could only imagine him using that name for you elsewhere. Your stomach tightened, and you quickly shrugged the thought off. After all, the last time he got into your head like that, he ended up disappearing for three weeks.

“What took you so long?”

“Wha’?” he asked, your question a little out of the blue.

You winced, instantly regretting the desperate-sounding question. You wanted to tell him it didn’t matter, but he wasn’t the type to let stuff go. You sucked in a deep breath, your free hand beginning to fidget with the hem of your shirt as you turned to him. His eyebrows raised and he leaned forward ever so slightly, intrigued.

“I, um— it’s just that... it’s been three weeks since I last saw you, so I kinda guessed...” you muttered, trailing off to stop yourself stumbling over your words any further.

“Nah, I get it,” Reno said, raising an arm whilst shaking his head, “You thought I was gone for good. Well, I hate to break it to ya, but I always keep my word.”

Reno took another sip of his soda, then placed the can down next to him. Your gaze met his. His usually smug face appeared to be a lot more serious than usual. The genuineness of his words caused you to smile, though you quickly hid it with your can.

“I’ve been on duty, like non-stop because of all the shit to do with Avalanche and some girl from Sector 5,” the crimson-haired man explained, rolling his eyes as if the thought alone annoyed him, “Between me first meeting you and today, this is the first time I’ve been off duty. Didn’t think it’s been three weeks already, though. Not like _I_ keep count.”

His last sentence was certainly aimed at you, as evidenced by the way his lips threatened to turn upwards at the corners. You shot him a glare, though there was no real irritation behind it. It was kind of endearing when he teased you like he already knew you so well. Your eyes softened, finding it increasingly difficult to keep up your uninterested act.

“They really like to keep you on your feet, huh?”

He nodded, “Tell me about it. Don’t even get a ‘thank you’ for all the shit I do for them.”

“Assholes,” you commented.

His eyes widened before he laughed, flashing his pearly whites, “Yeah, assholes. Least someone around here gets it. I mean, it’s not like I hate the job, but sometimes a guy just needs a break.”

_Tell me about it,_ you thought. Perhaps you and the Turk has more in common than you originally thought — he was just an _almost_ normal guy beneath the suit and dangerous act he liked to put on.

“Well, you’re here now,” you said softly.

Reno blinked twice. He seemed shocked that you were beginning to warm up to him, even if it was just a little. Becoming self-conscious from the way he was staring at you with those wide eyes, you looked away, finding interest in the walls of your kitchen. You knew you shouldn’t have said anything. _Why did you always have to make an embarrassment of yourself?_

You brought a hand up to your throbbing forehead, the pain of your headache only being added to by your stress. You couldn’t stop yourself from wincing as you placed down your can of soda, hoping to finally take your hair down.

“What’s up?” Reno curiously asked, straightening his posture upon noticing your discomfort.

Waving your hand dismissively, you continued to avoid his gaze as you grabbed a hold of your hair tie, “Headache.”

You then heard him making his way over to you. Turning to him, you furrowed your brows. He gestured to your ponytail, which only added to your confusion.

“Let me do it,” his tone made his words sound more like a question.

You read his pretty blue eyes for any sort of joke or teasing remark, but he looked sincere. Unable to say no, you dropped your hands to your sides and turned on your heel, giving him better access to your hair. He hummed quietly, seeming pleased that you would let him. His hands made their way to your hair, fingers looping around the hair tie and beginning to loosen it, as opposed to just yanking it out like you expected him to.

Neither of you spoke, and you could just make out the sound of his soft, rhythmic breathing. It was almost calming in a way — the intimacy of having his hands in your hair. The sensation of your loosening ponytail almost immediately alleviated the pain of your headache. He got the hair tie out completely, then gently pulled it down out of your hair. Your hair, despite having taken the tie out, almost stayed in place, and you were sure it would have a million knots in it. As if on cue, you felt familiar bristles brushing through your hair; certainly not his fingers.

“Is that a hairbrush?” you asked, not turning around to disturb him.

The sensation of the brush going through your hair sent a pleasant tingle up your spine. You must’ve visibly shivered, because a low chuckle left his lips, “Yep.”

“Where did you get it?”

“Hello, have you seen my hair?” he snarked.

It did make sense for him to need a hairbrush. His hair was so long, and always looked so soft to the touch. You would’ve loved to run your fingers through it and find out—

Your thoughts were interrupted when the brush hit a knot in your hair. You yelped in pain as he pulled down on it a little too hard. He immediately stopped brushing, his free hand resting on your shoulder.

“Shit, sorry,” he apologised, “You okay?”

His hand gently squeezed your shoulder, thumb rubbing soothing circles against your skin. You were glad you didn’t have to look at his face.

“Yeah. It’s not your fault,” you assured him, urging him to carry on.

“Good,” he replied, bringing the brush back up to your hair. He was a lot more careful with his movements, making sure not to pull too hard against any knots that had formed. If you weren’t standing up, you were sure you could’ve fallen asleep; he was so unusually gentle with you.

Reno continued to brush until your hair had straightened out. He brought his hand up to your scalp, fingers running through the silky hair with a feathery touch. You let him, enjoying the feeling far too much to stop him. Your headache was quickly fading, and you had him to thank for that.

He played with your hair until he grew bored, and then he moved it so it all lay over one of your shoulders. His arms slowly snaked around your waist, pulling you closer to him. A shaky breath left your lips when you felt his warm breath next to the bare skin of your neck. Then, he leaned down, pressing his soft lips to your neck. You had to stop yourself from letting out a louder breath. He felt your body go stiff as the nerves took over and smiled against your skin. He pulled back, releasing you.

You turned towards Reno, flustered and not knowing what to say. The man looked down at you, grinning at your reaction. You told yourself you weren’t going to give him the advantage again, yet here you were. You pursed your lips together. You needed to get a hold of yourself.

“I think ya should wear your hair down more often, yeah?” Reno said.

He hadn’t seen you with your hair down before, so it didn’t come as a shock to you that he liked it this way. “I can’t really have it down when I’m working,” you answered, gesturing to his own tied hair, “Y’know?”

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” he retorted, holding his hand out so you could take your hair tie back. Reaching out to grab it, Reno stopped you by grabbing a hold of your hand, pulling you into him. Your head hit his chest, and the familiar scent of his cologne filled your nostrils. This was déjà vu all over again.

Puffing your cheeks out in annoyance, you glowered up at him, unimpressed by the cocky smirk on his face.

“I was talking about when you’re with me,” Reno muttered, arm extending around you so his hand could rest on your back. Slowly, he began to move it downwards, towards the curve of your ass. Your breath hitched, not wanting to go there just yet, and you pushed him away from you.

“Hands off,” you warned, grabbing your hair tie from his hand and sliding it onto your wrist.

It wasn’t that you weren’t enjoying having his hands on you, because you _really_ were. The issue was that things were moving far too fast, and you didn’t want to go through with anything crazy for him to just vanish from your life once more. You couldn’t ignore the thought that this could’ve all just been a game to him.

Reno brought his hand up to rub the back of his neck. His usual smirk never left his face as he said, “You’re such a cutie when you’re mad.”

In response, you simply scoffed.

“Aw, c’mon, I know you secretly like it when I tease ya.”

Of course, he was right. Not that you’d be able to admit it to him. So, you rolled your eyes, crossing your arms as you looked up to the ceiling.

“Hey, don’t give me the silent treatment,” Reno huffed. The man sighed in defeat, tapping his shoe on the floor, “Okay, stubborn, I like it... how about we do some getting to know each other? Will that get ya talking?”

You turned your head towards him, intrigued. Your eyebrows raised, waiting for him to continue. Getting to know him sounded interesting — there was still so much you didn’t know.

He noticed your sudden engagement in the conversation. A smug smile crossed his lips.

“Okay, I’ll start. How wa—“

“Wait!” you interrupted, looking down at your work clothes. They weren’t as clean as you would’ve liked, and standing in the middle of your kitchen wasn’t the most comfortable place to get to know someone. “Do you mind if I quickly get changed? This isn’t the comfiest outfit, so...”

“By all means,” Reno said, holding his hands up and gesturing for you to go ahead.

“Just, uh— you can come up upstairs with me and wait in my room. I’ll change in the bathroom,” you said, failing to hide your awkwardness.

You motioned for him to follow you, leading him up the stairs. He stayed close behind you as you walked into your room to find something suitable to wear. The doors of your closet swung open, and you turned to Reno, who was stood in the doorway watching you with interest.

“Cute room,” he commented, taking his sweet time in walking towards your bed so he could sit down.

You mumbled a sarcastic “Ha, ha” before pulling out an old hoodie and some comfy yoga pants. Not too much, but not too little. You threw the outfit over one of your arms, and as you pushed the closet doors shut, something you definitely didn’t want to see caught your eye.

Reno was stood there, leaning to one side while spinning something bright red on his index finger. That something being a pair of cute lacy red panties. You had bought them a long while back, with an equally adorable bra to match. They were some of your favourites.

A look of pure horror appeared your face, and you gasped. Apparently, he decided to go through your underwear drawer rather than just sitting down like a normal person. The smugness displayed on his expression showed you he found this funny, and not a total invasion of your privacy. _Yet again._

“Reno!” you exclaimed, reaching up to try and grab the panties from his hand.

Reno lifted his hand higher, far higher than you could reach, and laughed at your attempts to jump up at him, “I never thought you were the type for _sexy_ lingerie, [Y/N].”

“Give it back, asshole!” you growled, face flushing at his words.

“Seriously, who’s the lucky guy? Or gal?”

You groaned, getting as high as you could onto your tiptoes to take the underwear from him, but to no avail, “They’re not _for_ anyone, dumbass! They’re mine for a reason!”

“Independent woman? Okay, I dig it,” he suddenly dropped the panties into your hands as you made a snatching motion.

You shoved them back into the drawer, only pausing when you heard him plop down onto the edge of your bed, giving you space. You stared down at the scarlet panties, glaring at them like it was their fault, before slamming the drawer shut.

Once you had everything, you turned on your heel to point an accusatory finger at Reno, “You, don’t move. I’ll be two minutes.”

The Turk nodded, making a halo shape over his head with his finger. Scoffing, you flipped the bird at him, despite the smile that crept up onto your lips. He smiled back, cerulean eyes watching you like a hawk as you walked out of the room and into your bathroom.

You stared at your reflection in the mirror, noticing the how soft and silky your hair looked. You smiled. While Reno was annoying as hell, he did have his moments. Shrugging the thought off, you wasted no time in getting changed into your more comfortable outfit, feeling refreshed and almost lighter.

You treated yourself to a bit of lip balm and a quick spritz of one of your favourite body sprays. Taking a deep breath, you grabbed the handle of the bathroom door, walking out. _Keep it together, you’re just getting to know him better,_ you convinced yourself.

When you stepped back into your room, you noticed Reno had made himself more comfortable by taking off his shoes and suit jacket, leaving him in just his half-unbuttoned shirt and smart black pants. You noticed the way the shirt accentuated his muscly yet slim physique, particularly in how it hugged his strong-looking arms. Quickly, you drew your eyes away, instead taking notice of the fact he had moved from the end of your bed to the top, lounging casually as if it was his own.

His piercing gaze met yours as you made your presence known by pushing the door shut behind you. He gave you a quick glance up and down, but luckily didn’t let his eyes linger for as long as he usually would. You brought a hand up, waving shyly at him. Copying you, he waved back, grinning.

“Hey, _stranger.”_ he teased, to which you just smiled widely and sat down on the opposite end of the bed, crossing your legs.

“Alright, so... what do you wanna know about me?” you asked.

Reno tilted his head in thought, a low hum coming from his lips, “What was your first impression of me?”

_Pfft._ Your first impression of him had barely changed. A tiny smirk formed on your face, thinking back to when he had burst through the doors of Seventh Heaven. Well, if he was asking, then you may as well tell him the truth. That was what bonding was all about.

“Okay, well, if I’m honest, I wasn’t exactly _scared_ of you, but I could tell you were kinda, like, dangerous. I also thought you were annoying, and way too smug — and I still think that, for the record.”

Reno brought a hand up to his chest, opening his mouth dramatically to feign offence. You snorted, leaning forward to push his leg playfully. His eyebrows raised, surprised to see you initiate something for once, though a grin that rivalled the Cheshire Cat graced his lips.

“Oh, so that’s how it’s gonna be, huh?” he chuckled, sitting up properly so he could lightly push your shoulder.

Beginning to listen to your heart rather than your head, you decided to accept his challenge by getting up onto your knees, this time shoving both of his shoulders, so he fell backwards against your plush pillows. The male laughed, getting up onto his elbows and gazing at you with those piercing eyes.

“Looks like she’s got some spunk in her after all,” taunting you, he got back up and suddenly pulled your ankle. In the blink of an eye, you lost your balance, slipping down onto your back.

Loud, happy laughter bubbled up in your stomach. He was laughing, too, and crawled forward to grab one of your arms, but you rolled to the side, avoiding his grasp. Taking the momentum, you sat back up, lurching forward to tackle him. You caught his hands, the two of you caught in a spontaneous bout of wrestling. Pushing against him with all your strength barely moved him. He didn’t seem to be trying very hard as he pressed back against you, and your arms began to burn.

His strength rapidly began to overcome you. You let go when the burning in your arms became too much, squealing when you fell backwards at the sudden lack of force pushing against you. Reno laughed victoriously, climbing over your body to grab your wrists and pin them down next to your head. You wiggled around in his grip, trying to roll out from under him, but to no avail. The two of you continued to laugh uncontrollably.

“Looks like I won, don’t ya think?” Reno smirked, obviously wanting you to admit it before he’d let you go.

“Never,” you challenged, narrowing your eyes at him.

He huffed, moving your hands so that he had a hold of both your wrists in just one of his hands. His free hand moved down until it hovered over the side of your stomach. Your mouth opened in surprise, and you quickly shook your head at him, already knowing what he was planning.

“You don’t wanna make me do this, [Y/N],” the red-haired Turk told you, wiggling his fingers in warning.

You pouted your lips at him as one last attempt at getting him to release you. Having none of it, he let out a disappointed sigh. Before you knew it, his fingers had started to attack your sides, torturing you in the form of tickles. Squeals left your lips through choked laughter, pleas for him to stop. You wiggled and kicked against him, but the firm body above you wasn’t phased in the slightest. Your stomach started to hurt from the laughter combined with your attempts to breathe. Tears formed in the corners of your eyes, the tickling becoming too much for you to take.

“Okay, okay!” you cried, giving in, “You win, you win, you win!”

The tickling ceased. You panted heavily, regaining the lost oxygen from your fit of laughter. Reno’s grip on your wrists loosened, but he didn’t release you. You were sure your face was an embarrassingly scarlet red, with tears staining your cheeks. You looked up at the man above you, who was watching you intensely with a charming smile fixed on his lips.

Only then did it occur to you how close he was to you. You could smell his cologne, hear his steady breathing above you, feel his warm body pressing against yours. Even though you knew it was wrong, you didn’t move. All you could do was gaze with half-lidded eyes at the man above you; first into his azure eyes, then slowly down towards his lips. He noticed the direction your eyes travelled, his tongue darting out and running over his lips. Without realising, you slightly parted your own lips, watching in anticipation as he leaned closer to you. Once his lips were almost on yours, so close that you could feel his heated breath, he stopped.

“Hope ya wouldn’t mind if I kissed you right now,” Reno murmured, searching your eyes for approval.

He was asking for permission, in his own sweet way, and that alone was enough for you to melt. You smiled, bringing a hand up to meet the soft skin of his cheek. With a small nod, you granted him consent, and that was all he needed to move down, lips meeting yours in a gentle, passionate kiss. Your head tilted, pulling him closer to get a better angle. You felt him smile cockily into the kiss, pushing harder against you to deepen it.

Your hand moved from his face, choosing to roam his body. It slowly travelled down, stopping at the bare skin of his chest. As you rubbed circles into the skin, it was your turn to smirk when Reno’s breathing hitched. You took the opportunity to take a hold of his shoulders, pushing him down onto the bed and climbing above him, straddling him at the bottom of his chest. For once, he didn’t say anything, despite the shit-eating grin on his face.

Leaning down to kiss him once more, hands resting against his chest, you felt his own nimble hands reach around you, settling for a moment on your lower back. Then, they began to travel upwards, under the thick material of your hoodie. The sensation of his fingers against your bare skin sent a shiver up your spine. You felt his fingers stop at the clasp of your bra, and before you realised what he was doing, it was too late to stop him. Your bra popped open at the back, the clasp becoming undone.

You gasped against his mouth, and Reno took the opportunity to run his tongue over your lips, before slipping it into your mouth. He pushed it against your own, the action causing you to fist the material of his shirt. Between having his tongue explore your mouth and his body against yours, you quickly began to feel hot and bothered. You then brought your hand down to the buttons of his shirt, undoing them with an ounce of desperation.

His hand slipped downwards, until it reached the curve of your ass, stopping there. He grasped at it, and the surprise drew a low, breathy moan from your throat. Once more, he smirked against your lips, before withdrawing them.

Grabbing you by the waist, he flipped you so that you were beneath him again, pulling his now-unbuttoned shirt off his shoulders. You marvelled at the sight of his toned chest, now in its full glory. Reno caught you gawking, sending a wink your way. He then lowered himself, burying his head into your neck. You felt his lips press into the skin there, peppering it with hot, wet kisses. He stopped at one part, sucking on the skin as to leave a mark. Breathing heavily, you let your head fall back, closing your eyes in pleasure. You brought a hand up to his fiery red hair, raking your fingers through the long locks. Clearly, he enjoyed the sensation, and you felt him sensually bite into your neck, eliciting a soft groan from you.

He drew his body closer to yours, pleased at the sound he drew from you, and you started to feel a certain hardness pressing against your hip. Your face flushed, struggling to believe you were the cause. Even so, you let your curiosity mixed with passion take control, and you let your hand travel down his body, stopping when you felt the growing hardness. Tenderly, you cupped it. Reno moaned into your neck, his head coming up so he could meet your eyes.

“You have no idea what you do to me,” he panted, leaning forward to meet your lips in a desperate, sloppy kiss.

Smiling, you dared to bite down onto his bottom lip, not too hard, but enough to rile him on some more. The gesture must’ve tipped him over the edge, because he grabbed the hand that fondled his crotch, pinning it down next to you. He thrust his hips against your own, pressing the hardness to your core. A gasp fell from your lips, eyes struggling to remain open as he let his hands roam your thighs, caressing the clothed skin and getting dangerously close to your core. His fingers crawled up to the waistband of your pants, pulling on it teasingly.

He breathed deeply, pausing his movements briefly to turn to you, lust dancing in his aquamarine eyes. “You sure you wanna do this?” he asked, bringing a hand up to push an unruly strand of your hair from your eyes.

You were dazed, nodding slowly as you tried to find the words, “Yeah.”

“You’re certain?” he asked again, like he was unsure in himself that this was what you really wanted.

A breathy laugh left you. You brought your hand up to the back of his neck, tangling his vibrant hair between your fingers. Pulling him downwards, you kissed him once; sweetly and gently. He widened his eyes, feeling the soft touch of your fingers travelling down his bare chest. It was comforting. He smiled, though his head tilted as he waited for you to answer.

“Reno,” you mumbled his name, your restrained hand wriggling out of his grip to reach down to his belt. You made sure your eyes never left his as you fumbled with the buckle, continuing, “I want you.”

It was true; you couldn’t lie to yourself anymore. Even if your head was screaming at you to walk away, your heart and body were in far too deep.

He didn’t need to say anything else, locking lips with you once more. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lmao reader be like "i dont want him" /2 seconds later/ "i want him"
> 
> i am very very inexperienced with writing anything smutty - even making out scenes scare me so please be nice! this is literally the smuttiest i've written and it doesn't even go that far. i felt so awkward writing it!


	3. earned it

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The idea of having to move on from him hurts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the last part!!! i'm so excited and nervous at the same time to have this out! i really wanted this one to be special since it's rounding out the fic, but it ended up being pretty... meh compared to the other two chapters. even so, it's got more soft!reno and who doesn't want that :^0
> 
> i hope you all enjoy, i had such a blast writing this three part story! reno is so fun to write for... maybe i'll write again for him once i'm done with all my uni assignments... eventually <3

Sunlight beamed through the cracks in the blinds, leaving a warm, golden glow across the room. You stirred from your sleep, eyes fluttering open. The brightness caught you off guard at first. You brought a hand up to shield your eyes, glaring at the window for disturbing you from the sweet embrace of sleep. Your eyes wandered to the pale ceiling above you.

_Perhaps a little more shut eye wouldn’t hurt_. It wasn’t like you were working today, anyway.

Trying to block the sun’s unforgiving rays, you huffed, grabbing your bedsheets and flipping onto your other side. Still caught up in your sleepy state, you almost didn’t think anything of the head of red hair that lay next to yours. You jumped, hand flying to your chest in surprise. That’s when your mind went into overdrive, replaying all the memories from the night before in your head.

Oh. _Oh._ Flashes of his arrogant smirk, the sensation of skin on skin, a shy suggestion for him to stay the night all rushed through your mind.

You quickly closed your eyes and opened them again, only to find that the man lying next to you hadn’t disappeared; he was still there, still _real._ The sound of his quiet, unconscious breathing reached your ears — an unusually quiet, relaxed state for a man so _loud_ in both appearance and personality.

Your hand reached up to run through your hair. The uncertainty of what was going to happen next caused you to panic. For so long, you had tried to convince yourself you wouldn’t give in — that you wouldn’t give your body to a man you barely knew. Not to mention the fact that this was surely a forbidden romance; you were on Avalanche’s side, and he was on Shinra’s — and a _Turk_ , no less.

A deep breath rose up out of your airways. You looked down at yourself, noticing the foreign piece of clothing loosely hugging your torso. A crisp, white shirt that you were so used to seeing the man across from you wearing, so big on you that it went down to your mid-thighs. He, on the other hand, was shirtless, sprawled across your bed with one leg in and one leg out of the covers. All he sported was a pair of boxers. You tore your eyes away, not wanting to think about the events of the night before.

For a moment, Reno stirred. He pulled the sheets closer to him, leaving you with barely any. _Of course he was that sort of sleeper._ A low hum sounded from his throat, before he dug his head further into your plump feather pillows, stilling.

Your eyes softened. It truly was bizarre to see Reno in such a peaceful state. You lay your head back down, staring at the vibrant hair cascading down the Turk’s back. It wasn’t in its usual ponytail, instead let down in its natural state, without those ridiculous goggles atop his head. Absentmindedly, you reached out your hand, lightly touching his hair. Your fingers ran through it, with a feather-like touch in order to not disturb his sleep. It was impossibly soft as you expected.

Suppressing a sigh, you retracted your hand. _What were you going to do now?_ You had given him what he wanted, what you _owed_ him, so he had no reason to stay once he woke. He’d leave forever, and you’d go back to living your incredibly mundane life of wiping tables and filling drinks. Your eyebrows knit together. This was all too much to think about before breakfast.

Deciding that letting your thoughts eat away at you would do no good to anyone, you sat up, intent on treating yourself with a nice hot drink and a bite to eat. Your bare legs swung off the side of the bed, coming to a stand.

A sudden pain shot through your inner thigh. A string of curse words threatened to leave your mouth, so you quickly silenced them by biting down on your bottom lip, nearly hard enough to draw blood. Only then did you realise how sore you were after the events of the previous night. You attempted to take a step forward, which only caused the pain to increase. It looked like you weren’t going anywhere just yet. Defeated, you lay back down on the bed, squeezing your eyes shut.

You felt the male next to you shift, a low yawn escaping him. An arm found its way to your waist, latching around it. You felt his body move closer to yours, snuggling into you, and your eyes quickly opened, looking over to him. Tired blue eyes met your own, already staring at you. He smirked, giving your waist a playful yet gentle squeeze. You tried to smile back, though found yourself a little too wrapped up in your own troublesome thoughts to do so.

“Mmm... mornin’,” Reno hummed, lazily burying his head into your shoulder.

“Hey,” you replied, “How long have you been awake?”

“Heh,” he let out an amused chuckle at your worried answer. “Just long enough to see... whatever that was,” he gestured to where you had stood up with a lazy flick of his hand.

Your eyes widened. How were you supposed to explain this one? _Oh, hey, Reno. You railed me so hard that I physically can’t walk now._ Yeah, that wasn’t happening.

“Just not ready to get up yet,” you lied, averting your eyes to gaze at the ceiling instead.

“Mhm,” Reno hummed, but his tone suggested he didn’t believe you. He dug his head deeper into your clothed shoulder, closing his eyes. You stiffened, unsure if he was going back to sleep or not. Peering down at the head of crimson locks, you felt his lips meet your skin, planting a soft kiss before nuzzling back into you. Your heart fluttered. If this was all an act, he could surely make it as an A-list actor.

For a few minutes, you lay there in silence. Under the impression he had fallen back to sleep, you relaxed, shimmying down into the warmth of your bed. You let yourself lean into Reno, listening to his low, rhythmic breathing. Your eyes looked to the beams of sunlight which poured in through your window. Maybe you could just bask in the brilliance of it all for a while; pretend that the man holding you ever so closely actually thought of you as more than a one-off, that he wasn’t a natural enemy of those closest to you. It was all too perfect in that moment, and that kind of hurt. You took a deep breath in, then out.

“Whatchya’ thinkin’ about?” Reno’s voice cut through the silence in the room, even if it was just a mumble. _So, he wasn’t asleep after all._ He poked his head up, leaning on you with one of his arms.

“Just...” you certainly couldn’t tell him what you were really thinking of. A little white lie would have to substitute. “The weather.”

Reno scoffed, “The weather?”

“Yeah. It’s nice.”

“If it’s so nice, why do ya look like someone just killed your pet kitten?” he countered, narrowing those ever so blue eyes at you judgingly.

A half-hearted laugh escaped you. You shook your head, laying back to look up at the ceiling. In response, Reno sat up, clearly unhappy with your lack of an answer.

“Hey, I’m serious,” he said, poking your side with a slight frown present on his face.

Copying him, you sat up with a huff. Your hands took to fidgeting with the sleeves of the large shirt that covered your torso. Reno took notice of this, raising a brow. He looked into your eyes deeply, as if he was trying to read your mind. He was still tired, you noticed, his eyes half-lidded and hair dishevelled, sticking out in all directions. Lips parting ever so slightly, he tilted his head, awaiting some sort of explanation. There was something almost endearing about seeing him in his tired state.

“I’m fine,” you said quietly, looking down at your sleeves with a blank stare.

“Yeah, nope,” Reno answered, “You’re a bad liar.”

Your eyes widened, snapping up to meet his. Knowing he was right, his signature smirk appeared, though it was lazier than usual. _Of course_ he’d know you were lying. You lied the first time you met him, and he saw right through that. It was like you were just some predictable, open book to him.

“You don’t know me,” you mumbled, and although it was intended as the answer to his original question, it sounded more like a retort.

“Maybe not, but....” Reno started, resting his head on his hand. He narrowed his eyes, his lips curling into a wider smirk as he watched you knowingly. He continued, “I _do_ know you enough to know you’re a shit liar.”

Your arms crossed. He was right, and you hated that he knew that _you_ knew. You let a dry laugh out, finding the smallest humour in the irony of it all. Eyes drifting from his, you tried to think of what to say to him, but all your ideas were next to awful. If you had known it’d be this hard, you would’ve just kicked him out of your house yesterday before he even got a word in, let alone allow him to stay the night. _No, you wouldn’t have._ You quickly closed your eyes and opened them again to silence your intrusive thoughts.

Reno caught sight of the faraway look painted on your face. He raised his hand, waving it in front of your face. Pulled out of your mental dilemma, you turned to Reno, giving him a small, apologetic smile. Usually, he would’ve smiled back, but instead he furrowed his brows.

“C’mon, [Y/N], what’s with ya?” the Turk prodded.

“I told you, I’m good,” you insisted, swallowing hard.

“You regret what happened last night.”

The words that left his lips stunned you. He didn’t seem like he was upset or offended as he spoke, however he wasn’t anywhere near as easy to read as you were to him. You quickly shook your head in an almost panicked state. Both of your hands raised up to run through your hair, before raising your palms to him and waving them side to side, gesturing that he had it all wrong.

“No, no, it’s really not that,” you paused, taking the time to peer up at the red-haired man through your lashes, a shy grin playing on your lips, “I actually really... enjoyed it.”

The corners of his lips tugged upwards and his eyes lit up at your words. “ _But,_ ” he said, gesturing for you to continue. _He always knew._

“But it’s not... I, uh—” you tripped up on your words. Your clammy hands grabbed at your sides, trying to focus on something other than how flustered you were getting. You breathed out, calming yourself, before starting again, “I don’t do this sort of thing with people I don’t... it’s just that we don’t really know each other but I still—”

Reno placed his index finger to your lip, silencing you.

“Shh. I get it,” he hushed you, retracting his finger to gaze at your surprised expression. He paused, pushing his tongue against his cheek to mentally debate something. “Actually, let me ask you one thing.”

“Go on,” you encouraged.

“If you don’t do this sorta’ thing with people you don’t know, how come ya did it with me?” he asked, and you half expected him to act all smug like he usually would, but he just moved his hand to let it rest atop yours with a foreign glint in his eye. He looked almost caring — something you weren’t expecting — and you felt your heart jolt at the gesture.

A low, shaky laugh was all you could muster as a response, avoiding his gaze. You found interest in the various articles of clothing which were scattered around the floor — a reminder of what had transpired before. Reno waited patiently for you to respond, not pushing or smirking or preparing to make some snarky comment — just waiting. Finding comfort in his silence, you sucked in a deep breath. Even if he didn’t feel the same, at least you’d finally _know._ It was better than being consumed by the “what ifs” that were constantly swirling around your head.

“I dunno, it’s complicated,” you admitted, shaking your head. You brought your eyes up to meet his, feigning confidence despite the sudden bout of jitters that overcame you. You flashed a small smile, your voice coming out in a soft murmur, “I think... it’s different— with you. _You’re_ different.”

A grin threatened to show on Reno’s face, but you saw him purse his lips to keep it off. The man leaned back on his hands, removing the one that was touching you, and released a light sigh. You frowned, almost embarrassed when another wave of doubts entered your thoughts like a tsunami. _You had totally just put him off._ Things were moving too quick, too heavy, too soon.

“Different, huh?” Reno repeated, nodding more to himself than to you.

His cerulean eyes bore into your own eyes. It was something you couldn’t get used to. You could never keep your gaze on him when he looked at you like that. It was like he was analysing you, staring into your soul, breaking down any walls you had up all at once. You took to looking at the window instead, the word “yes” coming out of your lips in no more than a whisper.

“How?” he questioned, “Am I different, I mean?”

“I don’t know,” you mumbled. And you didn’t know. You had no clue what it was that you felt for him — it was all so new and scary and _real_. The worst part was that it could all disappear as quickly as it had come about; the danger of unrequited feelings threatening to take him away. A dry laugh left you as you brought your knees up to your chest, hugging them while deep in thought, “I think... I know that this is wrong — that me and you shouldn’t be together right now, but I— you can’t help how you feel. And I get that this is different for you. I owed you for what you did back at Seventh Heaven, so it’s fine, _really_ , if you don’t feel the same.”

“Wait, wait, slow down a sec. You don’t think this is about _that,_ do ya?” Reno said, pointing to the world outside in a dramatic fashion. He blinked at your words, still processing them with his brows furrowed, looking almost confused. He looked wide awake now, no longer in a sleepy haze.

You looked at him, equally baffled, and nodded slowly in response. “Well, yeah, I thought— you...” you trailed off upon hearing him let out a laugh of disbelief.

Taking in your surprise, Reno sighed, shaking his head. He pulled himself closer to you, pushing the knees that you were hugging down to get a better look at your face. Your eyebrows were raised, lips parted from the pure bewilderment you were feeling. Reno clicked his tongue, that familiar devilish grin returning to his face.

“Look, you’re smart, but what you just said was dumb as hell,” he quipped, patting your head in what you saw as a condescending manner. The offense must’ve showed on your face, as his grin only grew tenfold. “Think about it. I take my only time off to come and see you, I stay the night, I let you wear my shirt _and_ I don’t even make a run for it before you wake up.”

You nodded, though you weren’t sure you understood, “And?”

Reno groaned. He ran two hands through his fiery head of hair, closing his eyes briefly. When he opened them, he took a hold of your shoulders, pushing you down onto the bed with ease. He climbed above you, trapping your body between his legs. Breathlessly staring up at him, you watched him roll his eyes, one hand going to pinch the bridge of his nose. You couldn’t find the words to say.

“ _What I’m saying is_ ,” he began. His tone clearly displayed his annoyance, but you didn’t have the time to dwell on it as he began to lean down, both his hands cupping your cheeks. Continuing, he said, “If that doesn’t show ya how much I’m into you, maybe this will.”

And then he swooped down, lips meeting yours in a passionate kiss. You almost weren’t ready for it, pulling back momentarily to run your tongue over your dry lips. Reno noticed, chuckling as your eyes fluttered shut to kiss him back properly this time. You felt his hands travel downwards, away from your face to explore your body instead. Taking the opportunity, you brought your hand up to run through his messy hair, deepening the kiss when you felt his lips curve into a smirk. You tilted your head back slightly as his tongue ran over your bottom lip, granting him entrance to your mouth. The sensation of his tongue pressing against your own almost made you forget where you were, what you were _just_ talking about. Without thinking, you gently pushed him away, taking the time to catch your breath. He was caught off guard, clearly not expecting you to stop. His head cocked to one side, curious.

“You like me?” you asked, panting.

“Duh,” Reno answered.

“But you said I owed y—”

Reno interrupted you with a quick kiss to your lips. He pulled back and playfully flicked your cheek, explaining, “Yeah, you owed me another chance to see you.”

“But you already— _Oh._ ” you muttered, eyes widening. If that was the truth, if all he really wanted was to see you again, then he was still here because he _wanted_ to be. The beaming smile that crept up onto your lips said it all, and this time you didn’t try to hide it or bite your tongue to stop it. You _let_ him see it. In response, he smiled back, intensely watching your lips. You raised a hand, letting your thumb run over the tattoos below his eyes, following the outline. He leaned into your touch, turning his head to leave a light kiss on your palm.

“I’d kill to see the look on your Avalanche buddies’ faces if they saw us right now,” Reno smirked, hands travelling down your sides until they reached the dip in your hips, “Man, that shit would be priceless.”

It had been a while since he’d made a snide comment, so you weren’t surprised that he let one slip. Nonetheless, you rolled your eyes, grabbing his wrists to remove his hands from your body. He whined in protest, pouting when you sat up, swinging your legs off the side of your bed.

“You just can’t help yourself, can you?” you grunted.

Reno slid his arms around you, head resting upon your shoulder. “Course not,” he said, blowing on your ear just for the sake of annoying you.

Shrugging him off, you came to a stand, almost forgetting about your soreness until you took a step forward. Your muscles immediately began to ache in protest, coaxing you to get back into bed. A whisper of the word “ouch” left your lips. In front of Reno, you didn’t want to look like you were in pain, but you knew it was already too late when he sniggered. Inwardly groaning, you turned to face him, placing a hand on your hip.

“Don’t. Don’t even ask.”

“And if I did ask?” he teased.

You ignored him, trying to walk away, but the grimace on your face gave away far too much. Reno’s shoulders began to shake with laughter. He pointed at your legs, a mischievous glint in his eye.

“Havin’ trouble walking?”

“No,” you bluffed, shuffling your legs as you tried to walk. The pain proved to be too much, though, so you stopped, standing in place and avoiding the gaze of the Turk entirely.

“Don’t tell me...” Reno muttered to himself, then let out another loud laugh at your expense. Your eyes snapped shut. Whenever he spoke in that tone, he had figured something out.

Your mattress squeaked while Reno came to a stand. Keeping your eyes closed, you felt his strong arms reach around your body, connecting his hands at your front to keep you locked in. His head came around your shoulder to look at your face, snickering when he saw your closed eyes. Some of his hair fell onto your skin, the tickling sensation making you shiver. Reno brought his lips down to your ear. When he spoke, he was so close you could feel the soft, plump lips ghosting over the shell of your ear.

“Guess I’m just that good, huh?” he purred, lingering in place.

A light flush ran to your cheeks.

Eyes fluttering open, you slowly turned your head to look at Reno. “Shut up,” you managed to whisper, eyes meeting his deep stare. You watched the corners of his lips tug upwards into his signature smirk. His enticing scent filled your nostrils, every part of him threatening to drive you crazy. He unclasped the hands around you, loosening his grip, before bringing them up to run over your torso with an excruciatingly leisurely pace.

“What are you gonna do if I don’t?” Reno challenged.

“I’ll...” you started, furrowing your brows at him in an attempt to win the stare-off, “I’ll fight you.”

It was a silly thing to say; realistically, both of you knew that you’d be the loser in that scenario. Even so, Reno would play this game — he always got a kick out of making you squirm.

“That so?” he hummed, and you didn’t stop him when one of his hands travelled a little too far up, stopping at your breast. Your breath hitched. His piercing eyes never left yours, and yours didn’t dare to leave his despite the heat that made its way to your cheeks. “What happened last time ya tried to do that?”

Your tongue ran over your teeth, the expression on your face admitting defeat. He then retracted his wandering hand, instead using it to spin you around to face him. Your hands flew to his bare chest to stop yourself losing your balance. His head tilted whilst he looked down at you, eyes finding their way to your neck. It looked like something caught his eye. He asked, “You’re not working today, are you?”

You shook your head.

“Good.”

“Why?” you inquired.

“Two reasons. One you might like, one you probably won’t,” Reno said, watching as you stepped back with narrowed eyes at the faux innocent expression on his face.

“Give me the one I won’t like first,” you crossed your arms.

Reno didn’t reply. Instead, he simply pointed to your bedroom mirror. You looked from him to the mirror with suspicion whilst you walked over to it, taking small steps. Once you were in front of it, it took you a moment to realise what he was referring to, until you spotted numerous dark spots along your neck and collarbone. Your mouth opened wide when you realised what the marks were — hickeys. _Good thing, indeed, that you had the day off._

You brought a hand up to touch the marks; they didn’t hurt but they sure were noticeable. However, you had to admit it was nothing a spot of makeup or a turtleneck couldn’t cover. Besides, if they were still there when you did go back to work, maybe it would keep the drunken creeps from hitting on you. It wasn’t so bad. Besides, Reno had _marked_ you, and the sense of that _belonging_ almost made you blush.

Looking at Reno through the mirror, you watched him put his hand behind his neck, putting on a sheepish facade. You rolled your eyes, though a laugh bubbled up from your stomach. Surprised, Reno’s eyes widened at how cool you were about it, half expecting you to call him a name, or freak out.

“I can cover them,” you explained with a nonchalant shrug. You turned, placing your hands on your hips. For once, you got to relish in his surprise, a grin forming. It wasn’t often the tables were turned, but when they did, you adored it.

“So you’re actually _not_ mad?”

“Nope,” you popped the ‘p’. A chuckle escaped you when you admitted, “It’s actually kind of... I dunno, but it’s not _bad_.”

“Ain’tcha just full of surprises,” Reno answered. He thought for a moment, a smirk appearing as he seemed to ponder something.

Your brows furrowed, “What?”

“And that brings me onto the reason you might like,” he said. Intrigued, you brought your hand out, waving it to urge on him on. Your enthusiasm made his smirk grow. He moved to your wall, leaning against it with crossed arms. “Well, you know how you said I don’t know ya?”

You nodded, “Mhm.”

“Maybe we could get to know each other better. For real, this time,” he shrugged, acting coolly as usual, though his words told you he felt more serious about this than he was letting on, “We should go get breakfast or somethin’... together.”

You glanced up at the clock. It was still early. _Fair enough_ , you thought. However, you didn’t have much food in, and you had no idea what he liked to eat — you barely had enough milk to fill a bowl of cereal. The idea was nice, but you didn’t think it would work. You frowned, turning to look at him with an apologetic expression, “I don’t really have much to eat here.”

Reno’s eyebrows raised. “Oh, no, I didn’t mean...” he took the time to pause, stifling a laugh, “I meant, like, _out_. As in, lemme take you out for breakfast, y’know?”

You stiffened. _He was asking you on a date_. He really must’ve been serious about this, about _you_. Your mouth was agape as the realisation hit you. A quiet “oh” left your lips. In response, Reno frowned, taking your reaction the wrong way.

“It’s fine if you don’t wann—”

“I’d like that,” you cut him off, smiling.

For a short, refreshing moment, it was his turn to be surprised. He quickly hid it though, pushing himself away from the wall and stepping closer to you. Smirking, he watched as you peered up at him through your lashes, raking his fingers through his hair in a casual fashion.

“Never doubted it for a second,” he said.

You snorted, rolling your eyes, “I can still change my mind, you know.”

“But you won’t,” Reno lifted your chin with his fingers, mesmerising blues dancing with amusement as he levelled his eyes with your own.

You swatted away his hand, shaking your head with yet another roll of your eyes. What he said was _probably_ true, but that cockiness of his drove you insane. With a chuckle, he moved away from you, reaching down to retrieve some of his discarded clothing from the previous night. He took the time to pick yours up, too, causing you to quirk an impressed brow. He came back to a stand, letting the clothes hang over his arm.

A troubling thought came to your mind. Regardless of whether or not you both wanted to, you weren’t really supposed to be together. With him being one of Shinra’s Turks, and you being a friend of Avalanche, the risk of someone seeing you and asking questions made a gnawing feeling in your stomach. You didn’t want to be named traitor of the year.

“What if someone sees us?” you asked worriedly.

Reno scoffed, “They won’t. And if they do, who cares?”

“ _I_ care.”

“I’ll take you Topside,” Reno replied, “Chances of your buddies seeing you there are nada, and what I do outside of working hours ain’t any of Shinra’s business anyway.”

You contemplated his words. Though you didn’t like to admit it, he was probably right. Plus, it wasn’t often that you got to go Topside. Maybe it would be fun. You sighed in defeat, nodding your head at him.

“Okay, okay. Topside breakfast it is.”

Deciding to make yourself decent, you tried to head for the bathroom, but your lower body betrayed you once more. You sucked in a breath of air, trying to ignore the aching.

“Nah, you’re not doing this,” Reno said, placing the clothes down on the end of your bed. You looked at him, confused, and he shook his head. You couldn’t even register what was happening before he grabbed the back of your legs with one arm and put the other around you, scooping you off your feet to carry you bridal style. A squeal left your lips. Trying to wiggle out was no use — he was far too strong compared to you. He looked down at you, one eye closing in a playful wink.

“What are you doing?” you squeaked as he brought you back over to your bed. He let you down softly, making sure you didn’t hit your head on the headboard.

“You’re gonna wait here while I run you a hot bath,” Reno explained.

The gesture was unusually sweet. You never would’ve expected a man so dangerous who was capable of so much to be so caring behind closed doors. Your eyes went wide as you looked up at him in shock. He certainly wasn’t kidding, his face suggesting that his words were entirely serious.

If someone had told you you’d be in this position a week ago, you would’ve laughed in their face and called them crazy. The red-headed Turk hadn’t known you for very long whatsoever, yet he was already starting to grow on you. People didn’t usually have that sort of effect on you. There was something about the unpredictable man that drew you to him, in a way words simply couldn’t describe. And now you were starting to see a whole new side to him that made him even harder to resist. You’d got it bad.

“And if I say no?”

“You ain’t got a choice,” he warned, in a tone that would’ve almost sounded dangerous if not for the context. His hands were on either side of you as he stood over you, eyes narrowing just to make himself seem that little more intimidating. You pouted.

“So romantic,” you said sarcastically.

“Yeah, yeah,” he huffed, unmoving as he continued to hover over you, gazing at you intently.

The sun came out some more, causing the brilliant yellow light to leak through your window, the rays hitting the man above you. The light accentuated his sharp features, giving his aquamarine eyes a lustrous glow. Your stare caused him to smirk, head tilting. He shifted one of his hands, settling it on your cheek. His skin was soft, and warm. A few cuts dotted his hand — a reminder of who he was and what he did for a living. Your eyes softened. _Our lives are so different, yet your path still crossed mine_. You let out a breathy laugh at the thought. His intense stare never left yours as he moved some hair from your face, furrowing his brows when you laughed.

“What?” he muttered.

“I was just thinking... it’s crazy that we managed to cross paths,” you answered, voice barely above a whisper.

Reno’s teeth showed as he grinned, “Had to be for some reason, didn’t it?”

“Destiny,” you joked, but it didn’t look like the man above you took it that way by the way he shrugged and nodded, considering that as a valid reason.

“Maybe.”

Your eyes searched his for any sort of amusement, his lips for any sign of the smirk he so loved to display. Neither showed, and you found butterflies swirling around your rather empty stomach. You found yourself nervous thinking about all the endless possibilities for the two of you, all the branching paths you could go down. It was terrifying, yet utterly exciting.

The corners of your lips tugged upwards, forming a smile. Reno watched your lips, his tongue slipping out to run over his own lips. Slowly, he inched closer to you. You reached up, hand snaking around to the back at his head, grasping at the vibrant red hair to pull him towards you.

“Maybe,” you repeated.

A real, genuine smile crept up onto his lips. Your heart fluttered. You brought his head down to yours, eyes coming to a close as his enticing lips met yours, first slowly, hesitantly, then deeper and passionately.

Perhaps maybe was the beginning of your definitely.

And that was okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> eewwww this is so cheesy and cliche and soppy i'm sorry--


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